The Value of an Ensemble Cast

One of my favorite categories in the SAG Awards® is “Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.” I think of it as the “Best Ensemble Cast” award.

As a member of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television & Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), I am honored to have the privilege of voting for the SAG-AFTRA awards, which will air live on TBS and TNT on January 27, 2013. I must admit that I really enjoy the perk of seeing nominated movies before the general public and for free.

There are many fine actors who have earned Oscars®, and other awards as solo performers. We, as wedding entertainment professionals, must also have the skills to excel as solo performers.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

After watching a particularly brilliant cast in the movie, “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,” I realized that weddings, by their very nature are ensemble productions, and each wedding professional involved is vital to its success.

For example, I’m quite sure that Judi Dench didn’t tell Maggie Smith how to do a line reading. Each cast member interacted with the others without ever stealing focus or dominating the other actors. It was their teamwork that created such an extraordinary film.

The director of “Marigold,”John Madden, should also be recognized because he had the vision to put this ensemble together, and then he trusted his fellow professionals to bring that vision to fruition.

A Wedding Ensemble

All of the above is what should ideally happen with a wedding. The bride, who is the Producer, is tasked with putting together a great group of professionals. She then needs to trust her own judgment, and let them do their job.

I believe that we DJs need to consciously choose to work collaboratively with the other wedding professionals in order to achieve the best results for our brides. Naturally we would never give food preparation and service advice to a caterer, or tell a photographer how to set up shots, but we can certainly be mindful about what we say on the microphone, ensuring that we never abuse the power of amplification by saying something that could make the other wedding professionals look bad. We should in fact (if it’s well deserved), acknowledge our fellow “cast” members and make them look great!

Ultimately, the bride and groom are the stars and we are part of the supporting cast. Therefore, we must always make sure that the spotlight shines on them.